The Family Based System of Governance in the Kurdistan Region

Baran Ghafar Ahmed – Activist 

In reality, the system of governance in the Kurdistan Region has long been dominated by two major political families: the Barzani family through the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Talabani family through the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), this form of rule is often described as a family-based or tribalism system that has deeply resulted in many negative consequences.

The negative impacts of the two-family system in the Kurdistan Region include:

1: The weakening of public institutions:

Official institutions such as Parliament and the judiciary seen as being affected by political interests rather than acting independently and  citizens feel that decisions are shaped more by party power than by the rule of law!

2. Economic Monopoly :

Financial resources; oil revenues; border crossings; major companies; and businesses : remain concentrated within circles closely connected to the ruling families. 

3: Suppression of Dissenting Voices:

Security forces linked to political parties, including the Asayish and Counter-Terrorism units, have repeatedly been used to suppress protests and arresting journalists and civil activists.

As a result, public frustration continues to grow due to ongoing corruption, delayed salaries, lack of public services.Many observers believe that internal rivalries between the younger generations of these two ruling families on the one hand, and pressure from the federal government in Baghdad on the other, have placed the future of this governing system under serious strain. Furthermore, all of these ongoing challenges and consequences have also negatively affected the relationship between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government of Iraq.